Where Do I Get Hosting and a Domain Name?

Are you new to the world of web design and wondering what a host and a domain name are? You are not alone. Many first time web design clients have these sort of questions. You may have heard these words thrown around, but never were told what exactly these terms mean. Here's an easy to understand explanation.

Hosting

Hosting is a service provided by a company where they store your web page files on their computers. These computers, known as servers, are configured specifically for meeting the demands of sending your web page out to thousands of visitors, remaining secure against hackers, and staying online 24/7. Many hosting companies offer servers running Linux or Windows operating systems. The kind of server you need depends on what programming languages are being used to develop your web site. Most of the time you'll want a Linux server when running PHP or Ruby on Rails. A windows server is most commonly going to be used when using ASP.NET.

Which company should host my web site?

There are many companies in the marketplace that provide great hosting solutions. Here is a list of various hosts that are known to provide quality service.

Hostola.com

Hostola.com offers a few different web hosting plans that fit most small businesses well by providing a competitive mix of storage space and server features like PHP support, MySQL support, one-click installations, and POP3 & IMAP email.

Host Monster

HostMonster offers some of the best priced packages with the most specialized features. Their servers come with unlimited space, PHP & MySQL support, and even Ruby on Rails. There are also many one-click application installations available.

Blue Host

Blue Host also offers an extremely cost-effective, feature rich plan. Like HostMonster they offer unlimited space, Ruby on Rails, PHP, MySQL, FrontPage extensions, and much more.

Host Gator

Host Gator also offers very competitive plans. Some of their plans cost a little bit more than their competitors, but they are still a force to be reckoned with since very large amounts of space are offered with no limit on the number of sites stored per account.

GoDaddy Hosting

GoDaddy offers decent hosting plans with features like PHP and MySQL. If you need a lot of space and very specialized features like Ruby on Rails, you may want to choose a different host.

WebHostingPad

By far one of the cheapest hosting solutions out there providing a ton of amazing features like unlimited hosting, unlimited domains, Ruby on Rails, PHP, MySQL, and more. WebHostingPad also offers credits for advertising on PPC networks like Google, Yahoo, and Miva.

Domain Names

Many consumers mix up domain names with hosting. A domain name and hosting are two separate things. A domain name is just a word or phrase you license from a registrar. Once you acquire the domain name, you must then tell it where you hosting company's computers are. It is best to think of your domain name as a street sign pointing the way to your store (the server at your hosting company). Sometimes people look for the cheapest company when looking to purchase a domain name. Generally, this is a bad idea because super cheap companies provide hard to use administration panels, make it hard to transfer your domain, and lock out their users every now and then. The best solution is to go with a reputable domain registration company that only charges a dollar or two more. These few extra dollars will go a long way in avoiding time consuming, frustrating headaches and delays related to domain name administration.

Who should I register my domain name with?

The following list contains domain registration companies that provide quality service at competitive rates.

GoDaddy

GoDaddy offers some of the best prices in the domain name marketplace. Managing the domain through the administration panel is easy. Transferring domain names is also hassle-free.

Other Useful Information

The hosting and domain companies discussed are more than adequate for the average small business. If you envision your web site serving tens of thousands of visitors or maybe even millions, you'll want to consider dedicated hosting packages. A dedicated server is the next step up from most consumer hosting packages. It is a complete computer rented out to the client. Most consumer level hosting packages share the computer between multiple clients. This allows costs to be cut, but various limitations are put on each customer's account in order to make sure the server is stabile. Only dedicated servers allow a client to have full control of their server so they can handle large amounts of traffic and execute specialized applications to meet whatever their needs might be at the time.